A Feral Cat Named Kitty

How her life was saved!

She came into our lives on a drizzly cold day Sept. 2007...visiting our second floor deck to eat the seeds out of a bird dish. The first time I opened the door she flew off the deck, I realized she was scared of humans and wild. Everyday I left scraps of food outside in the hopes she would come back...two days later she did, devouring every bit. I continued to leave scraps and she came everyday...although sheepishly.

Our first snow came, so we prepared a place for her to sleep and eat...my husband took a large cardboard box, cut out an opening, lining it with straw and towels, placing food inside and she started to sleep there...once even finding her mother inside the box.

We had a record brutal 2007 winter, seeing this kitty everyday in that cold was heartbreaking. We built another fortress for her, my daughter called it trailer trash housing cause we kept on moving it and adding to it...Hubby added all brick around the box to keep it warm, I covered the box with plastic and topped the box with a piece of wood...yea, it did look cheesy. I would heat up a beanbag in the micro, then wrapping it with a towel placing it in the box to keep her warm, yes she certainly used it.

Looking inside ~ notice the high snow

Sleeping in the carry case in front of the door

Checking out the sounds

After a month she started to sit in front of the window of our patio doors looking in, even stepping up on the sill to look in and meow... I should say "meeuw" such a little voice! She started to sleep in the carry case that I had lined with rug and towels, facing the patio door so we could see her. Her little paws where so cold she alternated holding them up. Everyday we cleared a path on the deck and stairs so she could get to her box. I placed paper and towels in the area she sat so she would not be wet from the snow...she ate anything I left. At times it was below -0 degrees with the wind chill even lower, her shivering couldn't keep any weight on her, so much energy was used just shivering. She had a cold and coughed, that's when I made sure the beanbag was always there for heating her up.

After Christmas she became friendlier and only ran to the top of the stairs when we opened the door, after a while she came up to the door when opened and even climbing on my husbands lap while on the floor. One time she came in and the door closed behind her...I had told my hubby, don't let the door shut, she will panic! yep she did panic, and tore my plants down trying to get out...hubby had to clean it up!

By now she was more familiar with us, even starting to trust us, allowing to be petted and picked up (that is unusual for a feral cat) The first time I picked her up I held her in my arms talking low and assuring her, always with limited, quiet and slow movements. (this is very important with feral cats)

I made a short video of her on hubbies lap playing with his sweatshirt pull, see Video.

continued below.....

Feral Kitty being tamed - third time in house

It was so cold that Kitty came in and sat on my husbands lap while on the floor, he sat very still and quiet.

Stalking deer - really just watching

She watched them for a long time, as did I...eating all my Hostas. There were 2 does and 5 fawns...

I took this video with my digital camera, sorry a bit shaky

A cold waterhole

Grand-pets Kyle & Annie sizing up their new friend

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By April she was tame enough to come in for a period of time without panic.

During this period I could not spend too much time with her, I was busy with a big Art project and had my 29 year old Arabian to care for. I took Kitty to a Humane Soc. to have her fixed...she was already pregnant by another feral cat (I think related to her)

The day I brought her home from being fixed, my beloved horse Ibn of 29 years had to be euthanized because of an unforeseen problem, it was devastating. I cried so much that when we brought Kitty home I slept with her on the bathroom floor for two days, till Kitty came out of her anesthesia affects.

Annie our grandog meeting Kitty

Lipstick ID mark

When I let her back outside she became a loyal cat and is now our beloved pet. She comes in to nap and goes out to hunt at night, sure wish I could change that, she brings home birds, mice, chipmunks, baby bunnies etc. that just breaks my heart...but that wild part may take some time to rid, if at all.

She allowed me to place a blue stretch string necklace with a tiny jingle bell around her neck (something that breaks and comes off easily if tangled.) To this day I always put a lipstick mark on her white forehead when she is outside, this lets people know she belongs to someone.

Smartest cat I have ever known... Oh...of course I'm not prejudice!

Kitty is a very smart cat, actually the smartest cat I have ever had or ran across. She comes to my whistles, and when she wants to go outside, she paws the bells hanging off the doorknob waiting for someone to let her out. At our doors are towels and a wire brush, so when allowed in the house she knows to lay down on the towels and gets a brushing before going to her meals...I can tap on the towel and she will run over, and gets brushed...and never does she beg for food.

When she was catching prey I would tell her to drop them and she would let them go. Kitty does not go on furniture except on some chairs that she is allowed to, she knows the word NO and respects it. We have a potty box for her to go in...but prefers to use the outside for her business, never had an accident yet. She is a wonderful part of our family now.

My Easter Fluff

Her routine...

Kitty has a routine when left outside, she walks over to the rail and places her front paws on the bottom rail and hangs her head over watching what’s going on. This includes the robins nest, the chipmunks and squirrels running around below. The Wrens will fly over when they see her, taunting her, landing within a paws reach chirping their warnings..it's amazing how loud a small bird can be.

Then if she sees a target, she flies off the deck to downstairs and goes into her hunting mode. If I happen to be outside, I discourage her with my NO Kitty!

Kitty doing her thing - photos

Spring 2008

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A Vantage Point...the Deck - her favorite place to be...

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Xmas 2009

During 2009 Xmas season Kitty was inside because of the freezing temperature getting below 0, with windchill of about -15. She’s very comfortable being inside with us, however she’s shy and hides when we have company.

Attacking Xmas sock Mice

The sock

As you can see in the photo, she Was helping me with decorations, and getting into everything. This Xmas sock has two mice stuffed in it and a button you press to play "we wish you a Merry Xmas" when Kitty heard this, she went crazy and attacked the Mice on the sock...it was really funny to watch.

Xmas Kitty 2012

Favorite things she does.... Sleep

favorite rug

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Have you hugged your cat today?

2010 look!

My art for auction

Dane County Humane Society Bark & Wine Event

*paintings donated for the auction:

*My feral Cat named Kitty

image size 5" x 7" Acrylic medium with Matt and Frame size 8" x 10"

*I also donated a dog painting, both have matching frames...see my donating art site

Being sick

is a terrible thing

I can't begin to tell you how scared I was with Kitty being sick and the possibility of losing her. I was beside myself, and thought how can I lose her when she was the replacement of my beloved horse Ibn! I just could not bear another loss of a pet, not so soon....so I and many family and friends prayed, yes prayed for a cat!

August was not a good month for Kitty, she had been injured, but no outward signs, she had a hard time walking and stopped eating and drinking...I allowed her to rest in the house and get her appetite back, she recovered in several days. Then about two weeks later she again stopped eating and not feeling well, I finally took her in to the Vet because it was getting worse not better, she needed to be hydrated as she was not drinking...not eating caused her to lose weight...her a temperature was up, with a dry nose and hot ears and paws.

Her blood-work came back with some elevation, most likely due to the dehydration, she was treated with antibiotics every eight hours, plus I had to force feed her, she also ate little bits of things I made, she liked Chicken and Spam(for the salt) but not more then 10cc at a time ....she started eating a bit better over several days, but still not on her own. I took her back to the Vet and she said, that it was good that Kitty was responding to the antibiotics, her temperature was normal and she gained a bit of weight...starting to be more normal and even eating and drinking...AND desperately wanted to go back outside...I was hoping to make a house cat out of her, but maybe this will happen when she gets older.

A pet is not able to tell you how they feel or where the pain is, this made it even more hard on me...humans can verbalize so it's easier to take.

I think the worst part is NOT knowing what was wrong and the possibilities of some terrible fatal disease because she is a feral outdoor cat.

Thank You God for answering our prayers and Dr.Debbie Thayer for caring.

Yes, feeling better - watching all my moves

Now that she is feeling better, it's interesting how Kitty is acting. Wanting to go back outside when she felt good the first day...we let her out...but she was gone all day on an extremely windy day. Happily she came home and slept through the night (except when I got up at 2:00 am to give her medication.)

Now she has figured out she can come in and we will not lock her in the house. She rings the bell hanging from the door to go out, then coming home every few hours checking in for her medication...so funny!

While updating Kitty's lens, she jumped up on the computer table (a first) I took this photo of her.

10 days of giving antibiotics is over and I get to sleep through the night....YES!

Kitty has us trained

and we follow the rules

Our Kitty is the queen bee of our house, she tells us when to get up and when to go to bed...what she likes to eat and when...for sure she has us trained, and we oblige.

When inside the house there are particular places she likes to rest, and when we call her and can't find her, we have to look in about a dozen places, Kitty will come when she wants, it's on her terms... yep, indeed in good old cat fashion!!!

Is that me??

Her favorite variety meals

Kitty's Bowl

hand made by mommie delia

When we visited our daughter in Kansas, she took me to a place where you can paint ceramics...there I made a bowl for "Kitty"

I thought it came out cute since I have never painted one...a fun project making it personal.

I added her name and painted her face with her markings...so she recognizes the bowl to be hers...just kidding!

A warm bowl of water for winter

Click photo for wish list page

A warmer heating pad

In her Igloo

Cat Bed Igloo

A cat named Fluffy

Fluffy is happy to have been saved and spent a wonderful time with her beloved owner Christina which waited all her life for a cat... It makes me happy to know that Chris was able to experience loving her one and only cat after all these years.

Sadly my dear sis-in-law Christina left us to be with the Lord, and now Fluffy has a home with the daughter who also has another cat and dog...

Feral Cat information Link List

• Why You Should Spay or Neuter Your Pet : The Humane Society of the United States
  Spaying or neutering your pet is an important decision for pet owners. As animal lovers who value our pets, it is important to understand the impact of this decision.

PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU LOVE CATS! - you can help by capturing and spaying....

I'm so Thankful that I found out about the Dane County Humane Society in Madison Wisconsin...

Please check out YOUR area for special deals on FERAL CAT NEUTERING.

Venting Here!

It's the human being that causes the problem, if they were responsible pet owners they would spay or neuter them. There is no excuse in having cats run amuck and have society pay for it through funding whether it is destroying the cats or catching and releasing. If it were mandatory to alter your cat, then this would not happen, at least not to the degree it does.

I find it selfish and unreasonable to make a poor animal, cat or dog that is depended on a human being for their comforts in life to suffer needlessly by not fixing them.

It's odd, where we live you have to pay a license fee for a cat in the house and get rabies shots...wouldn't it be more important to make sure the cat owner alters the cat? Unless you are a fancy cat breeder there is no need in keeping the cat intact to breed...after all we will never have a pure cat, there will always be mixed breeds.

Cat products

© 2008 Delia

So, have you encountered a Feral Cat? - let me know if you have...

Lynn Wallace on October 15, 2014:

Kitty and Mama Delia, you are both fabulous, and I have known you for many years, and just found out your beginning. How special to know this and we love you clear up to God. Thank you for sharing. You are most special.

Maria Grujicic from Darwin, Australia on January 13, 2014:

How adorably fluffy Kitty is- I love the way she poses- I'm glad she's now feeling OK. As a child I used to secretly care for stray cats and my parents wondered why they hung around! I fed them dry bread and milk. I wished so much for a cat. I love the way she rings the doorbell.

DuaneJ on January 12, 2014:

Adorable. We have a little black kitten too. We adopted her :-)

Paula Hite from Virginia on December 06, 2013:

I absolutely LOVE this lens and Kitty! I feel the same way about my rescue kitty, Maurice! Remember, dogs have masters, cats have STAFF!!

Stephanie from Canada on December 03, 2013:

I kept meaning to come look at your kitty`s lens and I`m glad I finally remembered! She`s a gorgeous cat. She actually has almost the same coloring of a kitty we just lost. I can understand how upset you were with your horse and how worried you were with Kitty when she was sick. We`ve lost 2 cats in the past 5 weeks (both cancer) and it`s always so hard. I`m so glad Kitty is doing well now! She`s lucky she found such a loving home. :)

FeralCaretaker on November 20, 2013:

We have also been adopted by a feral. He is orange and therefore his name has become Orange Guy. He began hanging around our house about a year ago and we would see him lurking in the corners and watching us from a safe distance while we let our backyard chickens run around outside their pen. Gradually he wormed his way closer to our back door and my girlfriend began sneaking him little snacks. I warned her that if she were to do that, she would need to do that forever. That was OK with her. After several months of regular meals it became clear he was not feeling well. He was drooling brown snotty pus from the corner of his mouth and his head was very shakey and unsteady. We are not allowed to get closer than 10 or 15 feet from him so this was quite a delima for us. We racked our brains for a solution and I searched the web for vets that worked with ferals. I found a local shelter that we often donate food to, NOAH of Stanwood WA, had a feral neuter/spay program. We had to trap him and fortunately his food addiction outweighed his apprehensions about the trap. He was very stressed by the incident and I feared he would really hurt himself convulsing spastically in the trap. I transported him early the next morning for his procedure, hoping that in the process the vet would discover if there was anything seriously wrong with him. I was very afraid that he would be found to be so ill that the vet would put him down. He looked a miserable wreck with dirty matted fur that he did not maintain at all. The whole day I was on pins and needles waiting to hear the verdict. I was there to pick him up an hour before he was scheduled and was able to release him early. The vet said that he was severely dehydrated and there was no food in his belly whch surprised us because he had been eating really well as of late despite being ill. She also said that he had a bad gum infection and bless her, she had given him an antibiotic that would stay in his system for 2 weeks. Orange Guy rebounded in the next week as we began to add large amounts of water to his wet food to insure he was hydrated. He has now become a bit plump, winter weight, and sleeps in a dog crate we lined with blankets and covered with a large plastic bag in our woodshed. We have several indoor cats and one, our 20 year old boy, goes outside occasionally. They both get along and smell each other politely. Orange Guy is very well mannered and seems to be very appreciative of the situation he has lucked into. I hope some day we will be able to pet him, but he is so feral, even though he trusts us that it may be a long time before that happens.